maybe it's good to be in the house of the Lord how many of you like me want to
go from just knowing the promises of God to walking in to the promises of God
it's one thing to notice something it's another thing to use what you know to
get where you need to be you see God has already reserved a seat for you
he's already carved out places for you he's already reserved territories for
you to conquer and for you to occupy we know that that God has things for us
that's a promise but how we get to that promise is up to us God was speaking to
Joshua he was telling him Joshua I have a place that I want you to go but
there's going to be two enemies that you're going to face now you all know
the story Joshua and Moses were brought out of captivity and were being
transformed or are being journey to the promised land so they came out of
captivity but they wondered in the desert
so they came out of something but they never fully got to where God had
promised them so it was Joshua's turn Moses had died and Joshua was standing
in a place that he had stood before again God spoke to Joshua and he said
Joshua I want you to listen carefully to my instructions I want you to listen
carefully there's two enemies that you're gonna face listen to what he said
in Joshua 1 he said Joshua be strong and courageous
then he went on to say do not be afraid and do not be discouraged for the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go okay he broke it down for Joshua
he said Joshua this is what you need to be strong and courageous
he said Joshua this is what you don't need to be afraid
and discouraged see God made it clear Joshua I'm taking you to a place that
you're going to occupy but you can't be afraid and discouraged God wasn't making
a simple suggestion he wasn't saying that don't be afraid don't be
discouraged be strong no God commanded Joshua he said have I not commanded you
have I not commanded you do not be afraid do not be discouraged you know he
didn't say Joshua don't feel discouragement don't feel fear what he
was saying was Joshua don't identify with fear don't let it become part of
your identity don't let discouragement define you he
was saying don't hang around with fear and discouragement too long he says
because you're going places see so many times you know we think wow these Giants
they saw these Giants he was saying it's not the Giants it's not the Hittites
it's not the Canaanites it's not the Jebusites it's not even the cellulites
that you need to be afraid of
he said Joshua your biggest enemy is fear and discouragement fear and
discouragement you know sometimes when we feel fear we entertain it fear causes
us to be discouraged and if you hang around with fear and discouragement long
enough it's interesting how you can wrap it in a circumstance this is the reason
this is happening to me we can literally take fear and we can make it such an
excuse that we can literally put a face to it we can name it see it's Sara in
the office that's why I can't get ahead it's my husband he's been pushing me
down he won't let me blossom I'm not as talented as other people that's why I'm
not where I should be it's my finances man if I had more
finances I could do so much more you see we create scenarios and
situations but at the root of every one of these is fear and fear causes
discouragement and discouragement causes us to be tormented it causes us to sit
down instead of move forward see we cannot let fear be an excuse for our
life God has already given us the promise he's already said here's the
promise it's optional if you're gonna get there and he's saying your enemies
are fear and discouragement you know I was talking to a girl the other day and
she said I'm in this ministry but it just seems like that you know what no
one will let me do what I want to do and you know it's hard for me I feel it
difficult I'm I'm just gonna quit I have seen so many people quit give up a
position because of people the first time that I ever
spoke in church I'm afraid I was scared I wrap that up
in an excuse I became discouraged I remember it's
Sunday again it was like a black cloud was following me around I named it
I got an agreement with it I was miserable then I realized you know what
it's fear it's fear it's wrapped up in all these other things but it's sphere
that is the root of why I'm miserable and you know you think about it we've
got to recognize fear and discouragement and we have to unwrap it for what it is
see it was the enemy trying to steal my destiny and can I tell you he's going to
try to stop with what God has started in your life any way you can he'll use
people he'll use circumstances he'll make it look like something else but at
the root of it all it is fear fear always raises its head as lack not
enough I'm not enough I don't have enough there is lack in this situation
that's why I can't do it it's always based out of black and not enough not
good enough not having enough listen do you feel discouraged sometimes what are
you fearful of that is the enemy's way of stopping you see too often we're
fighting people we're fighting our circumstances and God is saying don't
fight people fight fear and discouragement
he said don't let anything or anybody rob you of your destiny don't let people
steal your future see God told Joshua what he should be he should be strong
and courageous told him what he shouldn't be don't be fearful don't get
discouraged and then he told him how to do it
he said Joshua you're gonna fight fear and discouragement one way in one way
only is when you take hold of my word when you get it out of your mouth when
you chase discouragement and fear off with what I say when you get it into
your thinking and you become you meditate on it and you let it drop down
in the very depths of who you are see God didn't leave the building because
you're facing a hard time you're facing people who are difficult he said I will
be with you wherever you go and if God will fight Joshua's battles God will
fight your battles to see it was not the fact that they were gonna starve in the
wilderness first to death in the wilderness get blocked by the enemy we
know that God opened the Red Sea he struck water out of a rock God turned
things he let Quayle come into the camp so that they could eat see that wasn't a
problem the resources the battles weren't a problem God said don't worry
about all this stuff you fight fear and discouragement with the Word of God
because I'll be with you everywhere you go I'm not gonna leave you I'm not gonna
forsake you I love what it says in one version I'll never give up on you even
when you're feeling fear even when you're feeling discouraged hey that's
not enough to to make me give up on you I'll be there wherever you go my
promises are true how you get there is optional if you'll fight fear and
discouragement you too will get to your promised land amen thanks for watching
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